Edwards target of federal grand jury

posted at 3:40 pm on January 17, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Last we heard in October, the Department of Justice had prepared a flurry of subpoenas to delve into the handling of campaign finances in John Edwards’ presidential run, with a specific eye towards the use of some funds to keep the Rielle Hunter scandal under wraps. Today, the Associated Press reports that the grand jury has targeted Edwards in its probe, and not just Edwards. Subpoenas have been issued for Alliance For a New America (AFNA) and linked organizations, where millions of dollars got spent with no public accounting:

A federal criminal investigation targeting John Edwards is examining how much the two-time presidential candidate knew about money used to cover up his extramarital affair and out-of-wedlock child and whether he had other practices that pushed the bounds of campaign finance laws, people involved in the case have told The Associated Press.

A federal grand jury meeting in Raleigh, N.C., is combing through records and testimony involving several political organizations and individuals connected to Edwards and trying to determine if the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee broke any laws. A recently issued subpoena focuses on a web of these political groups allied with Edwards, according to subpoena details provided to AP that offer a glimpse into the investigation being conducted behind closed doors.

The situation gets murky indeed when looking at AFNA:

Atop the subpoena list, read to the AP by someone with access to a subpoena, is the Alliance for a New America, which is what is known as a political 527 group, named for the tax code section that governs it. Also on the list is a like-named private entity called Alliance for a New America LLC, or AFNA LLC, and Edwards’ former campaign manager Nick Baldick, who ran the political 527 group in support of Edwards’ bid for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. (IRS records for the same groups refer to the groups as Alliance for New America, without an “a.”)

Baldick and his attorney Jim Lamb would not comment on the federal investigation, but Lamb said Baldick has been told he is not a target of it.

Federal records show that about $3.3 million of the $4.8 million raised by the 527 was distributed to AFNA LLC for unspecified “consulting services.” The 527 and the LLC shared not only their name, but the same Alexandria, Va., post office box and the same contact, a Baldick associate named Katherine Buchanan. A crucial difference between the two Alliance entities was that the LLC was a limited liability company that did not have to publicly disclose how its money was spent.

The question will be whether that distinction was legal on its face, or whether it was used as a dodge to funnel money illegally to Edwards for his own personal use. If the grand jury can connect the expenditures on “consultants” to those who tried keeping the lid on Edwards’ relationship with Hunter, the legality of the edifice may be a moot point anyway. Presumably, the grand jury and the investigators are looking for someone on the inside to testify to how the money got spent. If they do and the money got directed to hide Hunter and keep her quiet, then everyone involved may face conspiracy charges.

AFNA isn’t the only entity under scrutiny, either. The One American Committee paid Hunter over $100,000 for campaign Internet videos that never got published. They also want to see how massive contributions from Fred Baron and Bunny Mellon were distributed, the latter of which got hidden in boxes of chocolates according to former aide Andrew Young’s book with the express purpose of keeping Hunter quiet. Baron claimed to have supported Hunter financially without Edwards’ knowledge, but Young’s book says that Edwards agreed to hit up Mellon for hush money, which the grand jury seems to think may be an interesting avenue of inquiry.

None of this means anything until the grand jury produces indictments, of course — but becoming a target of a grand jury is the one way that happens.

One that allows hypocritical but caring liberals to live as they want while preaching to the rest of us, and the other America which only wants to destroy the left and remake America as the new homeland of the Conservative Rethuglikkkans.

Turn the screws down a bit. A little plea bargain or promises of a wrist slap served at a minimum security facility may allow that songbird to warble on pitch at upper levels. We’re big game hunting here.

Now this is a problem…do we act like liberals and convict him right now?
Or do we act like conservatives and wait for the grand jury?
I feel a little liberal today…after last week I don’t feel like cutting liberals any slack on accusations…

NO,NO,NO!!! Obviously, you are unable to comprehend the situation. Silky Pony is a Leftist. Leftists are incapable of breaking the law. If it APPEARS that a Leftist broke the law, his Progressive/National Socialist comrades will find a way to exonerate him and place the blame on Bush and/or Palin.

One that allows hypocritical but caring liberals to live as they want while preaching to the rest of us, and the other America which only wants to destroy the left and remake America as the new homeland of the Conservative Rethuglikkkans.

Bishop on January 17, 2011 at 3:44 PM

Define “caring.” It seems that the only things Edwards “cared” about were lining his pockets at the expense of those whom he sued under a false premise, getting his rocks off at the expense of his critically ill wife, and basking in the glow of the MSM echo chamber at the expense of anything that could even remotely be construed as morality. Again, the meme that liberals are the “caring” ones who act in defense of the little guy falls before the god of moral relativism that says that wealthy liberals must be good guys by virtue of their espoused liberalism. In other words, virtue for thee, but not for me. So, your argument rests on the juxtaposition of “caring” liberals with conservatives who must, by definition, be evil because you equate them with the KKK? Aristotle just rolled over in his grave.

I’m guessing that’s why he asked his whore to marry him…wives don’t have to testify against their spouse in court.

marktarheel on January 17, 2011 at 3:43 PM

No, the ace up Edwards’ sleeve is marrying his skank princess mistress ASAP so she can’t be compelled to testify against him.

uncivilized on January 17, 2011 at 3:54 PM

John Edwards’ concubine has already testified before the Federal Grand Jury, under oath, and has contributed to the investigation. Rielle spent 9 hours in the courthouse in Raleigh, NC on August 6, 2009. Her testimony came as a “cooperating witness” with the federal government. She knew the feds had subpoenaed her bank statements and that they knew about every payment she received. The FBI told her it was in her best interests to tell the truth. And unlike the others who have testified, Rielle was driven to the court by FBI agents and escorted in by them. She got favorable treatment because she testified against her baby daddy.

Even if she does get married and cannot be compelled to testify against her spouse, her previous testimony and other contributing assistance can be entered into record, and she can be subpoenaed to the witness stand and be compelled to testify as to the accuracy of her previous testimony. She won’t be able to lie and change her previous testimony since she has been thoroughly vetted already, and she would not risk perjury anyways since she’d be jailed without a doubt.

But her previous testimony is not the crux of the alleged crimes anyways. She got lots and lots of money and it certainly may be that the money was ill gotten gains for her, but as to her personal knowledge of the money’s true origins and the process by which it was funneled to her I’m certain she has already testified that she did not know anything about that, and that she just simply played along with baby daddy’s delivery method, without knowing the finer details, which she blithely assumed helped protect him and knowingly enriched her.

After all, it was Andrew Young, who was once a loyal staffer of Edwards, who had claimed that he fathered Hunter’s child. She never publicly denied that until the cat got out of the bag courtesy of the National Enquirer. Then the payments were made secretly to Rielle Hunter, and Andrew Young, by Fred Baron, Edwards’ national finance chairman who passed away back in 2008. I’m sure she testified as to the ‘secret’ payments being true, but again, just went along to protect baby daddy and didn’t know how it was done from the other end other than that she got her hush money directly from Fred Baron.

And to think the MSM had to be dragged kicking and screaming to report the affair part let alone the very implications it raised of monetary malfeasance being involved.

Here was John Edwards in a presidential primary when the Enquirer story came out. MSM ignored.

Here was John Edwards reported approvingly by the MSM as being on Obama’s “short list” to be VP or maybe just Attorney General. But on the list to be in the adminstration.

Compare how a story with obvious leads gets disregarded when the main characterhas the magic “D” after his name.

And no, I’m not surprised.

But if the Enquirer hadn’t caught Edwards in that hotel on camera this sordid tale could well be playing out as Edwards occupied some post in the Obama administration. I guess we can be thankful we avoided that situation.

I picture Dirty Harry getting on the elevator in the movie Sudden Impact. He looks over and sees Edwards standing there with that smirk on his face…He reaches over and snatches Edwards by his tie and says “Listen Punk, to me your nothin but dogs%$# understand and a lot of things can happen to dogs%$#. It can be scraped up with a shovel off the ground. It can dry up and blow away in the wind or it can be stepped on and squashed. So, take my advise and be careful where the dog s%$# ya”
Edwards is a big steamin pile of dogs$#@. Crap of the highest order. He needs to be stepped on and squished!

Let’s not forget the late Mrs Edwards knew about the affair but kept quiet so as not to spoil her chance of being First Lady. But I will admit my sympathy for her illness and subsequent passing. Politics has nothing to do with caring for a fellow human being.

If Tom Delay gets 3 years for playing shell games with campaign money, Edwards should too.

Paul-Cincy on January 17, 2011 at 3:46 PM

Tom Delay was a casualty of a crooked prosecutor in Austin who shopped five or so grand juries until he found a newly seated one who didn’t really know the ropes – they gave him the Delay indictment – which was originally used to hoist him on the ‘pubbies ethics petard – and so remove him from his position.

He was tried AND convicted on activities that were not against the law when he did them. Crap like this really makes me lose confidence in the jury system. This is one of the guns brought to a knife fight by the Democrats.